High-street tea brand Chagee (霸王茶姬) have opened doors on an 11,000-square-foot, two-floor ‘Super Tea Warehouse’ in Hong Kong. It’s not their first flagship store, but it is their largest. For scale, consider that before this, the position was held by their Shanghai location – a comparatively piddly 2,700 square foot.
Chagee are what you could quite suitably call expansionist. In just eight years they’ve grown from a Yunnan tea shop to an international company looking to rival the best in the tea business. Much of their appeal has been around the fact that they make their tea with simple, fresh ingredients, cultivating an image of a healthy option among consumers. Without charging exorbitant or prohibitive rates for a cup of milk tea, they’ve also managed to position themselves in the luxury sector.
The choice of Hong Kong’s Wan Chai district for this tea megaproject signals just this. Wan Chai is a business district, surrounded by some Grade-A office space and ritzy residences. It’s also an area that sees travelling businesspeople coming and going, putting Chagee right under the noses of a wealthy, international class of consumer. Also high-end is their location in Wan Chai: Lee Tung Street, home to a trophy cabinet of international brands.
So, what’s in this warehouse of tea? Essentially exhibitions on the drink’s history. Visitors can learn about the five elements of tea making: boiling, frying, brewing, steeping, and extracting. This exhibition’s subject is another brand-aligned move by Chagee, who like to lean into their connection with heritage, Yunnanese tea making techniques.
On the ground floor you’ll find a tea outlet where you can buy all of Chagee’s classic drinks and sample a menu of specially brewed beverages. Baked goods will also make an exclusive appearance on the menu.
But Hong Kong tea sales aren’t the real goal here – Chagee already has six stores in HK for that. With this project, they’re aiming to cement their global image and drive expansion. This month, Chagee announced they now have over 200 stores in Malaysia, a country they only entered in 2019. Next up, will be Europe and the U.S. The Super Tea Warehouse is a signal that Chagee belongs next to the brands that already sell in those markets. It’s a coming-of-age statement.
